"Media, Place, and Multiculturalism"
Abstract This article provides a history of television broadcast and its impact on the social/racial relations throughout the United States. Prior to television, social groups were often isolated from each other, typically bound by a shared ethnicity and similar economic circumstances. The individuals that composed these groups were unfamiliar with their status in society; they were simply part of a homogenous group. However, with the advent of television, the difference between social groups was exposed as characters from different backgrounds came together in television. This widened scope on the world heightened the awareness of minorities that they had been placed at the bottom wrung of society. This resulted in minorities seeking to have the same opportunities to obtain the wellbeing that was only for the privileged whites. The article views televisions as a tool that initially divides, but in the spirit of progress, it can end in significant cultural reforms. Bibliographic Information: Meyrowitz, Joshua, and John Maguire. "Media, Place, And Multiculturalism." Society 30.5 (1993): 41-48. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. KEY CONCEPTS 1950’s Revolutionary Television: While contemporary television may appear to create a “minority consciousness” since it is divided into many sub-categories (e.g. race, religion, sexuality, gender). So was television more unifying during its early days? Meyrowitz and Maguire argue “no.” Rather, old television did not, “Encourage conformity to the values portrayed” and that “America was never much of a true melting pot in the past and is actually more of a melting pot now than it has ever been.” Early television certainly fostered this change by blatantly portraying stereotypes and disparities between social groups, but still did not foster conformity. However, the power of a new medium lies not in its ability to convince its viewers of something. Rather, the power of a new medium lies in its ability to create change. When various social groups and minorities, who in the past had been isolated from each other, saw their portrayal on television relative to the white cast members, these minorities began to seek the same lifestyle typically reserved for whites. As Meyrowitz and Maguire summarize, “Shared experiences through television encouraged minorities to demand equal rights and treatment,” (42). Effects of Narrowcasting: Narrowcasting refers to the practice in all forms of media to communicate to a niche audience. The examples of this are numerous. FOX news is catered to conservatives, MTV is geared towards young adults, and BET was created for black’s to produce and consumer their own media. While it may intuitively seem that this fragmentation divides more than it unites- not everybody watched the same show last night, not everyone knows who Morley Safer is- narrowcasting does not divide America into separate enclaves. Instead, this techniques has allowed for a greater negotiation of identity between loosely defined demographics. These ever-evolving groups often overlap and join together groups that would not have traditionally come together on their own. As well, the different levels of audience reach a show attempts is more fluid than ever. As “Media, Place, and Multiculturalism explains, “One can abandon one’s local identity and join a national cluster at the flick of a dial. Urbannites commute in cars tuned to country and rurals ride the range to the sounds of rock n’ roll,” (Meyrowitz; Maguire, 44). More of a Melting Pot Now: '''How can America be more of a melting pot now with such numerous discussions and debates regarding race, ethnicity, religion, and other cultural identities? These divisions are not where the power of television lies, but rather in television’s ability to make these divisions visible. While America is more diverse and has a greater deal of variety among its citizens now, mass media has allowed these niches to share in experiences, attitudes, perspectives, and expectations more than ever before. “Our cultural diversity was more present when it was less visible,” (Meyrowtize; Maguire, 46). With these divisions are being made apparent through narrowcasting, it contests these differences and requires the audience to consider why such differences exist. '''EXAMPLES This video is a compilation of stereotypes presented in the the show "Family Guy". The jokes are made at the cost of reinforcing stereotypes about various ethnicities. However, due to "Family Guy"'s satirical nature, these jokes are not to be taken seriously, but instead work by pointing out the pettiness of our supposed differences. As stated in the article, the heightened visibility of these divisions does not support divisions, but rather exposes them to the number of demographics that watch this program. In the early years of television, being a domestic servant was one of the very few occupations that black women held. As a result, black women in film were cast into the mammy stereotype, where the woman in usually joyful and content with her simple life. This standardization of black women in television quelled the anxiety whites in watching a black woman on television: she is not a threat to the order of things and is content with her life. In reality, black women were not satisfied with their status in society and this sentiment helped spur the civil rights movement. Television assisted in making this dichotomy between white and black visible, prompting some of the uproar of the 1960's. This commercial break from the BET network is an example of the fragmentation that exists in television. Not only is this network named, "Black Entertainment Television" but the majority of the characters in the commercials are black and in their mid 30's or younger. These products chose to advertise on this network because the network caters a specific demographic. As a result, much of the content in the commercials matches the content of the network. This a a clear example of the fragmentation of television. Even in its title, Black Entertainment Television was conceived as a way for blacks to produce media featuring and catered to black citizens. KEYWORDS Narrowcasting Audience Geographical Rhetoric Globalization Media Media Ideology New Media Rhetoric of Place Space/Place